By Dauda Lawal
My Dearest Governor-elect.
I can’t wait to see good governance return to Ekiti. October 16 seems a long mile away but we are getting there slowly and steadily. Before the interregnum, Dr Kayode Fayemi knew exactly where he stopped the clock four years ago.
You had a big dream and pursued it with vigour. You meant well and had a great vision for Ekiti, but it seemed you came before your time. You were misunderstood, you were misjudged, and the consequences are what we are seeing today.
Now, you came, pursued, fought and won a good fight. We are all now waiting for the inauguration of your second coming. I already imagine a great second coming. A lot of works need to be done. The health sector is gone completely and our teaching hospital is an eyesore. Education has totally collapsed and quality education compromised.
The once thriving investment environment has become hostile and your good work abandoned to deteriorate completely. The civil service needs serious restructuring. The professionalism we witnessed during your first tenure in the state civil service is completely eroded. Hunger and poverty are the strong indices of failure of the present arrangements.
In all of these, the whole decision to turn things around for the better now stops on your table. What would you do to make things happen? You need loyal, committed, young, vibrant and creative team in this recovery effort.
You need sound and selfless advisers. We need to partner with good private sector investors which you are already doing. You need the assistance of the World Bank and multinational corporations more than ever before.
The artisans as well must be factored in our development plans and implementation in other to make the recovery robust and deep. That’s when poverty can be fully addressed and development spread.
You need to put in place an excellent and all inclusive monitoring and evaluation mechanism, this will help us to receive constant and robust street feedbacks. We must rather be on the field working than hooving around in the offices.
You must develop a working and transparent Internally Revenue Generating (IRG) template to enhance effective running of government. You also need to create small departments in form of directorates to smoothen the effective run of Government. Directorates such as: Women Affairs and Empowerment; Works and Infrastructure; Rural and Community Development, etc., will be a great need.
On Agriculture, I am aware that more than 10 local government areas of the state have the capacities to grow rice in commercial quantity. That will be great if your government can quickly look into that. Anyway, your agricultural revolution is never in doubt as you have demonstrated during your first tenure.
I also hope that the College of Technical Agriculture at Isan Ekiti will start earnestly. All these, will no doubt, bring in a new lease of life to our youths and Ekiti people at large. I look forward to seeing that revolution in agriculture and job creation for our youths.
A lot of people would also want your government to look into the quick construction of the new Iyin road, that is from the pavilion down to Iyin Ekiti. The current state of Ado – Iyin road, particularly the Akanasan area has become a serious death trap to motorists. The construction of Ajebandele link road through Omisanjana will be another good thinking of your government. Those projects will be a great relief for all of us in Ekiti State. The new Obo road from Isan will also make a great mark of good governance, it will not only create job opportunity for our people, it will automatically increase our social life around that area. Most of these projects were already in your plans during your first coming, am aware they are top priorities now.
Job creation, well, I give that to you, you are a great master in that regard. God’s willing, Ekiti is in for a new purposeful government and leadership.
Someone told me that you need to bring back Teachers’ Training Colleges and let our Technical Colleges function as well. Yes, we need this as a part to restructure and advance our education system. What about creating a functional inspectorate department at the State Ministry of Education?
I think that’s also reasonable at this time. We may even bring in the services of some notable and very good retired but not tired administrators and Principals who have one time or the other served this state diligently and creditably. We must bring back discipline and hardwork to our educational system.
Our social media department must be vibrant, active and impactful. Showcasing everyday the activities of government. We must also find a very strategic means of communicating regularly and effectively with the rural dwellers and communities. Generally, the re-branding of Ekiti State is far more than important at this time. It is a task we must face almost immediately.
Tourism has become an important sector that has an impact in development of any state economy. The main benefits of tourism are income and job generation. For many regions and countries, it is the most important source of income generation. Ikogosi Spring our source of tourism development is earnestly waiting for your presence and attention.
Can we achieve all these almost immediately before your first 100 days in office? It is doable, it’s achievable, you knew where you hung the key of government 4 years ago and you can hit the ground running almost immediately.
-Dauda Lawal is a development agent, a social and political commentator. He wrote from Ado Ekiti
